Academic Integrity

Hesston College students are expected to adhere to the ideal of academic integrity in all academic work. Academic honesty, respect for the work of others and respect for the learning environment are considered unbreakable standards in this college setting.

Lack of academic integrity includes, but is not limited to, plagiarism, cheating, misuse of computers, misuse of library privileges and inappropriate conduct within the learning en­vironment.

Plagiarism is giving the impression that another’s work is one’s own; this can be intentional or through poorly documented sources. These sources may include others’

words (through direct quotes)

paraphrased or summarized ideas and research (including statistics, opinions and theories)

pictures or graphs

music

electronic content (websites, graphics, designs, computer code).

To avoid plagiarism, students at Hesston College must document and/or acknowledge sources and others’ work completely and accurately in a way that complies with the expectations of the course and the field of study. The Hesston College faculty is required to reinforce these expectations by modeling appropriate use of resources in their own work and holding students accountable for any violations.

This requirement to document and/or acknowledge extends to student work that includes

papers and essay tests

speeches and other formal oral communications

presentations (including multimedia and visual presentations)

websites and online content.

Examples of common documentation errors, well-documented sources and widely used documentation formats may be found at the Mary Miller Library pages on the Hesston College website.

Students who fail to maintain the standard of academic integrity are subject to disciplinary action that may include loss of credit in the course involved or dismissal from the college. Each incident will be reported to the Student Success Team (SST). The disciplinary action is determined by the instructor(s) involved and the SST. Students may appeal to the Student Appeals Committee for review of the decision. Procedures for the appeal process are available through the registrar’s office.